Um, please don't be angry with me about the end of this chapter. It's all a part of the plan.

Chapter Seven

Relena remained calm. The entire dinner was innocent, except the fact that Heero was trying to hide his money from her in case they ever separated. That much she wouldn't be able to tell her. There was nothing wrong about what they had done, so she felt fine to explain the situation.

"He came into my office the other day wanting some financial advice. I only assumed you had referred him to me."

Dorothy shook her head, protesting. "I saw how he was looking at you. It was the same way he used to look at me."

"I can assure you, it was just business." Relena said firmly.

"Maybe for you. I know Heero better than anyone and he is interested in you." The blonde heiress said venomously.

"It was just business." Relena reiterated.

Dorothy scoffed, turning her head to look at a bare wall of the office. Slowly, minutes ticked by of them sitting in silence. Relena felt no need to apologize for what she had done. Dorothy shouldn't even be distraught about the situation since she has affairs of her own.

"I didn't even know he was in town. I thought he was coming back the next day, but when I was out walking I happened to pass by the Majestueux and saw him." Dorothy said quietly, trying to get pity out of Relena.

"Why are you even upset about this? You have your own trysts with other men so why should you care if he has a business date with me?" Relena snapped, not willing to give in.

"I have affairs, but that doesn't mean he should. He knew from the start that keeping me tied down would be a difficult task!"

"If you can't stay loyal then don't have relationships! He is a good man and doesn't need to be treated like that by you!"

Suddenly, both women were yelling. Relena sat on the edge of her seat, hands clasping her desk tightly. Dorothy however, clenched her fists, but remained seated comfortably.

"What about you? You are dating three pilots now! Don't give me any grief about being unfaithful."

"I am spending time with them. I have not even so much as kissed the pilots." Relena snapped back, and then paused, rethinking Dorothy's words. "Three? I have only spent time with Trowa and Quatre."

"No, my fiancé is one of them too. Just because you have the girl-next- door look about you doesn't mean you can have any guy you want. You have to choose and leave the others alone."

"You're not even engaged! Heero told me he would never ask someone like you to marry him. He's not stupid and I'm sure he's aware of your trysts."

Now Dorothy was standing holding out her left hand in Relena's face. There on the ring finger was a large solitaire diamond with scrollwork on the platinum band. "I think you're mistaken, Miss Darlian. I know what my relationship is more than you."

Relena stood, feeling vulnerable as Dorothy sneered down at her. "I'll take his word over yours. How should I know that that isn't something you bought for yourself?"

Dorothy smiled maliciously then, "I think this ring is hideous, actually. If I was going to buy a ring for myself I would certainly buy something I liked."

Befuddled, Relena remained silent. She had never been involved in so much drama in her life, even in high school. She wasn't quite sure how to handle this. She had always been the mediator during fights.

"Now, Relena, heed my warning; if you come near Heero again you will have to answer to me." The heiress turned on her heel, exiting the office.

Relena sat in her office for several more minutes, trying to resist the urge to chase after Dorothy and ring her neck. She had never been threatened before and she certainly wasn't going to allow a woman like her to push her around. Out of spite, Relena started to dial Heero, but then the thought came that he wasn't hers. He surely had heard all of this at home. Hanging up and redialing a number, she called Hilde. Hilde was married to Duo, which was dramatic and chaotic enough. She would know how to handle this situation.

"Hey Hild, are you home?" she asked through clenched teeth.

"Yup! Just got back from the store."

"Okay, I'll be there in a few minutes." She hung up, grabbing her suit jacket and purse. This was the fastest she had ever left her job.

After a short taxi ride to Hilde's, Relena was walking into the house as if it were her own. She felt no need to make an announcement, not with this amount of anger coursing inside her. Relena felt that if she were to open her mouth now, only angry swears and screams would explode from her.

"How was work?" Hilde asked from the kitchen, a bowl of popcorn cradled in one arm while the other held a gallon of milk.

Upon hearing a calm and friendly voice, Relena felt her anger diminish slightly. At least, she could control the screams now. She couldn't scream at her concerned and pregnant best friend when she needed her most. Hilde didn't tolerate yelling and Relena knew to never raise her voice at the German woman because she would find herself out in the grass faster than Duo could talk.

"Already having cravings?" She feigned a smile.

"No, this is the only thing that I can eat that doesn't make me nauseous." She said throw a mouth full of popcorn. "What's going on?"

Relena sat at the dining table, ignoring Hilde's offer of the snack. "I told you about that woman I had to help a few weeks ago, Dorothy Catalonia?" Hilde nodded. "Well, she's dating Heero Yuy."

"Really? Small world." Hilde laughed.

"No, there's so much more." Now, speaking the predicament out loud, Relena could feel the pressure of the situation pushing down on her. She hadn't realized how much was actually going on until the words were on the tip of her tongue. "So, I went out with Quatre, but while I was waiting for him Dorothy showed up. There she told me to be careful with Quatre because he's not the gentleman he pretends to be…"

"They never are." Hilde snorted.

"Then she also tells me she cheats on Heero while he's traveling. But, when Quatre comes to meet me, he's with Heero. At this point, Dorothy calls him her fiancé." Relena sighed, leaning back into the chair. "I definitely like Quatre. He's enjoyable to talk to, but the other day Heero came into my office wanting some help. I agreed to go to dinner with him to discuss his finances and there he tells me he wants to hide his monies from Dorothy. He also said they weren't engaged. "

Hilde's eyes widened.

"Today, just before I called you, she came into my office. She told me that she saw Heero and me at the Majestueux the other night. She told me that the look in Heero's eyes were the same he used to give her. She claims he likes me. So from there, she threatens me and tells me to never talk to him or I'll have to answer to her."

Hilde was silent for a moment, and then slowly, a sound came from her. Soft at first, then growing louder and louder until Hilde wore a smile as big as her cheeks would allow and laughing so hard she was crying.

"This isn't funny, Hilde!"

"Yes it is! You're in so much shit!" She said through bursts of laughter.

"Some friend you are. I'm in trouble and all you can do it laugh."

"What are friends for? I have to laugh at your problems." Hilde said, covering her mouth as she tried to calm down.

"What am I going to do? Heero's a client and I have to talk to him to finish his account."

Tears still swimming in her eyes, Hilde said "Let him come to you. He hired you, right?"

Relena nodded, reaching across the table for a small handful of popcorn.

"Don't worry about him. Let him handle that psychopath by himself. You have two other pilots to worry about. Do you have a date tonight?"

"Yeah, with Quatre."

"Worry about him since Dorothy said he wasn't a gentleman."

"I don't know if I should believe Dorothy anymore."

Hilde left out a heavy sigh, "It sounds like Dorothy or Heero can't be trusted. They obviously have relationship issues that they need to take care of. You don't need to get involved in that. Just do your job because you're so awesome at it and don't think about the drama."

Relena hung her head, "You're right."

"I know I am. Now, help me pick out some baby names." Hilde said, producing a large naming book out of nowhere.

:::

That night, Quatre took her to a large upscale restaurant that put the Majestueux to shame. Relena had never felt so out of place in her life, but to her surprise, Quatre fit right in. Out of his pilot uniform and in a tuxedo, Quatre ordered their food in fluent French. The food was delicious and Quatre opened up to her more. They talked for hours and Relena couldn't believe how much they had in common. It wasn't just family businesses that they shared anymore, but the love of music and old classic literature.

As the night went on, Relena felt herself thinking less and less about Dorothy and her threat and more about Quatre. He was quite a gentleman and she didn't know why Dorothy would say he wasn't. Perhaps he was different when they had been together, but now, Relena was having trouble finding any flaws with this man.

Near eleven o'clock that night, she allowed the one thing she had never let any of her previous dates do; let him walk her home. Exiting the elevator on her floor, she led him to her front door, smiling and still talking about all the mundane things in their lives. They hadn't had any physical contact at all, which surprised her that he hadn't even tried to hold her hand or kiss her yet. This time, though, she would be more than happy to let the blonde pilot kiss her goodnight.

"I had a wonderful time." She said softly, grabbing for her keys from her purse.

"Me too. We should do this more often." He took a step closer, nearly pushing her against the wall.

"We should. Well, Goodnight, Quatre." She tilted her head up a little.

She waited, hoping for a quick peck on the lips, but within seconds, Quatre's lips crushed against hers. She tried stepping away from the assault, placing her hands against his chest. He pressed her against the wall, gripping her wrists tightly to immobile her and wedged his legs in between hers, lifting her off the ground slightly. She screamed from inside his mouth, trying to pull her head away.

He released for a moment and she took advantage. She screamed as loud as she could without a second thought. Instantly, a firm, manicured hand covered her mouth. Quatre took the keys from her fingers. Her hands were free. Her hands were still against his chest so she pushed against him as hard as she could. The blonde took a step back, but remained dominate.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Quatre raise a hand. Cringing, she braced herself for the impact. Instead, there was a grunt and a very loud thud. Chancing a glance, she saw Quatre lying against the wall and Heero hovering over him.

Sorry to make Quatre not such a nice guy, but it had to be someone and those people are always the ones you least expect. Don't despair, though. More drama coming!